How To Keep A Border Collie Busy (5 Expert Tips)
By Lorre Luther
Updated on
Border Collies are medium-sized, athletic dogs. They’re affectionate, playful, and full of energy, and they’re herding dogs whose heritage shows in their incredible intelligence and drive. While they often make great companions, the breed has specific needs! Most require around 2 hours of daily exercise to stay in top shape.
Border Collies are almost preternaturally smart and are regularly mentioned as the most intelligent in the canine world. A Border Collie named Chaser knew more than 1,000 words and could even identify nouns and verbs. Because they’re so smart, they often need lots of mental stimulation to stay engaged. Bored Border Collies with too much pent-up energy are prone to chewing and other destructive behavior. Keep reading for six expert tips on how to keep your Border Collie busy.
The 5 Tips to Keep a Border Collie Busy
1. Running, Hiking, Biking, and Swimming
Border Collies are high-energy companions that require a fair amount of intense daily exercise. Most require at least two good daily walks, vigorous playtime, or other serious physical activity. Many Border Collies enjoy running, hiking, and other outdoor pursuits. Consider letting your buddy run while you bike to give them an intense workout.
Keep an eye on your dog to ensure they’re comfortable while exerting themselves. Take a break if they start panting excessively, slowing down, or showing other signs of fatigue. Swimming is a great choice for dogs of all ages as it provides a great cardiovascular and muscle-building workout in one. It’s a particularly solid choice for older dogs or those suffering from joint conditions, as it’s a fantastic low-impact activity that may reduce pain and improve mobility in some pets.
2. Frisbee and Fetch
Playing frisbee provides dogs with heart-pumping activity. Most dogs enjoy the running, sprinting, and jumping involved in frisbee games. Use a dog frisbee, as they’re designed for dogs to catch in their mouths safely. Some pets need some “training” to learn how to play frisbee.
Most dogs love chasing balls, and ball launchers make it easy to send balls nice and far with just a flick of your wrist. Playing fetch and frisbee prepares for more organized dog sports such as dog disk and flyball. Keep in mind that high-impact activities requiring fast starts and stops, such as frisbee and fetch, aren’t great choices for dogs with joint problems such as osteoarthritis.
3. Doggie Sports
Doggie sports aren’t just fun to watch; they’re a great way to give your pet something fun and motivating. They include activities such as flyball, disk sports, dock diving, agility competitions, and even competitive dancing. Your dog can train for and compete in many competitions if you’re looking for a serious challenge.
Border Collies are incredibly good at agility competitions! A particularly gorgeous boy named Truant won the 2022 Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster’s 20-inch division, and Kaboom, a speedy black and white Border Collie, topped the competition in the 24-inch group.
4. Walks
Border Collies require frequent exercise; multiple 2 or 3-mile daily walks should form the core of your dog’s physical activity. Walks provide canine-human bonding time, and they’re even beneficial for humans! Studies show that people with dogs are often healthier and frequently live longer than individuals without pets, partly due to the physical activity and social engagement of walking their dogs.
Border Collies do best with several daily exercise sessions instead of one long workout. Giving your dog regular exercise opportunities throughout the day may also reduce destructive behavior, such as inappropriate chewing, caused by excess energy.
5. Work
Border Collies make fantastic working dogs, thanks to their high energy levels and super smarts. Work is best defined as any activity that allows them to use their natural gifts to solve problems and accomplish goals. Consider signing your pet up for a basic search and rescue training class to give your dog a challenge.
Border Collies often make outstanding search and rescue dogs; some participated in rescue efforts after the devastating 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. Because they enjoy completing tasks, these intelligent dogs can even be trained to pick up and put away their toys. When interested, Border Collies are fast learners, but it’s often difficult to keep these dogs motivated to learn if they get bored. Their high energy levels can also make it difficult for Border Collies to concentrate for long as they quickly become restless.
6. Food Puzzles
Food puzzles give dogs fun challenges that engage their senses and stimulate their problem-solving abilities. Simple options, such as toys your pet has to figure out how to get into that happen to be stuffed with tasty treats, can provide hours of canine fun. KONG toys stuffed with canine-friendly peanut butter can do wonders when it comes to keeping dogs busy. Hiding treats around the house allows dogs to engage their keen sense of smell and solve the “problem” of finding tasty hidden treats.
Conclusion
Border Collies are incredibly popular pets for a good reason; they’re loving, devoted, and some of the world’s smartest dogs. Border Collies were bred as herding dogs, with skills optimized to keep cattle and sheep under control. They’ve got amazing critical thinking, problem-solving, and athletic chops.
But because Border Collies are so intelligent, keeping them engaged and entertained can be challenging, often compounded by their high energy levels. Border Collies generally love getting out and about in the great outdoors, so the sky’s the limit when finding ways to keep them busy, as they’re likely to enjoy just about anything from long walks to scenic hikes.
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Featured Image Credit: Vera Reva, Shuttterstock
